A pair of SEC teams take the floor in college hoops action in the Yellowhammer State. The Texas A&M Aggies are on the road as they make the trip to face the Alabama Crimson Tide Saturday afternoon. Texas A&M was knocked off 85-74 on the road by #18 Kentucky in their last game Tuesday night. Alabama was defeated 88-79 on the road by LSU in their last game Tuesday night. The Crimson Tide owns a 12-6 edge in the all-time series though it was the Aggies that claimed a 71-70 win in the last meeting, which came in the SEC Tournament on March 8, 2018.

Texas A&M Aggies Hope to Return to .500 Mark

Texas A&M suffered a third straight loss as they were defeated on the road by #18 Kentucky their last time out. The Aggies now hope to return to the .500 mark as they make the trip here to face Alabama. Texas A&M trailed by 12 at the half and cut the deficit to three with 6:19 to play in the game before giving up an 8-0 run that turned the tide of the game. The Aggies shot 48.2 percent from the field, including eight of 17 three point attempts, and turned the ball over 19 times in the contest. TJ Starks and Jay Jay Chandler each had 18 points in the loss.

“…We’ve got a great opportunity to go play against a really good Kentucky team…”

The Aggies score an average of 75 points per game this season coming into this contest. Texas A&M pulls down 40.5 rebounds per game on the year and dishes out 13.7 assists a night. The Aggies are tied for 203rd in the nation in scoring defense as they allow 72.2 points a night. TJ Starks leads the team with 14.5 points plus 3.8 assists a night on the year. Savion Flagg (12.7 points, 8.3 rebounds) and Christian Melokuwu (9.9 points, 5.8 rebounds) are solid secondary offensive options. Wendell Mitchell, Brandon Mahan, Jay Jay Chandler, Josh Nebo and John Walker III each contribute at least 5.5 points a night for the Aggies. Texas A&M is shooting 45 percent from the floor as a team. The Aggies splash 6.2 threes a night but are connecting on just 29.5 percent from beyond the arc. Texas A&M is converting just 69.4 percent of their chances at the charity stripe on the year.

Alabama Crimson Tide Seeking Bounce Back Win

Alabama had their five-game win streak snapped as they fell at LSU. The Crimson Tide looks to bounce back and earn a fourth win in five games here. Alabama trailed by 15 points at the half and cut the deficit to four points at 79-75 with 1:46 to play in the game. The Crimson Tide couldn’t get any closer as they were outscored 9-4 down the stretch. Alabama shot 40.3 percent from the field, including going just seven of 24 from beyond the arc, and turned the ball over 15 times in the contest. Kira Lewis Jr. led the Crimson Tide with 15 points in the defeat.

The Crimson Tide piles up an average of 76.7 points per game on the year. Alabama pulls down 38.9 rebounds per contest while dishing out 13 assists a night. The Crimson Tide are ranked 215th in scoring defense by giving up 72.8 points per contest. Kira Lewis Jr. leads the team with 14.8 points and 2.9 assists per game. Donta Hall (10.8 points, 8.1 rebounds) and John Petty (10.6 points, 5.1 rebounds) each average in double figures. Tevin Mack, Dazon Ingram, Herbert Jones, Alex Reese and Riley Norris each put up at least 5.7 points a night. Alabama shoots 45.3 percent from the floor as a team. The Crimson Tide sinks 7.1 three point field goals per game while shooting 34.4 percent from beyond the arc. Alabama is struggling at the free throw line as they convert just 69.5 percent of their chances at the line this season.

Notable Trends

Crimson Tide are 3-0-1 ATS in their last 4 home games

Crimson Tide are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 home games vs. a team with a road winning % of less than .400

Crimson Tide are 4-1-1 ATS in their last 6 games following a straight up loss

Aggies are 6-13 ATS in their last 19 games following a straight up loss

The Bottom Line What to bet on this game.

Full-Game Side Bet

Rating:

Texas A&M has struggled of late with three straight losses and now finds itself under the .500 mark on the season. The Aggies are 0-2 on the road this season and they’ve found ways to lose close games this season. Texas A&M is 1-4 in games decided by five points or less this season. Alabama followed up their upset win over Kentucky by falling to LSU but they have gone 6-1 at home this season. Look for the Crimson Tide to come up with the victory in this contest.

Prediction: Alabama Crimson Tide -6.5

Full-Game Total Pick

Rating:

Texas A&M has to find a way to be more consistent than they’ve been this season. The loss of Admon Gilder, likely for the season, took a key veteran out of the mix for the Aggies, and they haven’t found a way to replace him in the rotation. Alabama is a solid offensive team with capable weapons to work but their defense is mediocre at best right now. The Crimson Tide has to shoot the ball better in all facets as their numbers aren’t all that impressive. Can Alabama have a better shooting performance in this contest?

The under is 7-1 in the Aggies’ last 8 vs. a team with a winning straight up record, 5-1 in their last 6 games vs. a team with a winning % above .600, 8-2 in their last 10 overall and 4-1 in their last five on Saturday. Alabama has seen the under go 9-4 in their last 13 games on Saturday. The teams have stayed under the total in each of the last four meetings in Alabama and in eight of their last nine meetings overall. Look for this one to go under the total.

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Chris Kubala

Christopher Kubala has been crunching stats and following sports for over 30 years. His in depth analysis and passion for sports have led him to writing books about sports, regularly being featured on sports talk radio and as the go-to person for any obscure trivia. He keeps an eye on transactions and statistics like a hawk, especially when it comes to football, both the NFL and college, the NHL, the NBA and college basketball and MLB.